It Pays to be Round

We woke up to rain today. Which is strange considering it’s summer and Rome is notoriously hot at this time of year. We had a tour of the Colosseum booked for 9 and we couldn’t cancel or reschedule so just had to go with it. We arranged an Uber to take us there and by the time we arrived it was bucketing down. The puddles in the cobblestones were so hard to avoid. I felt like a nag telling the kids every 2 seconds to watch where they walked. But the last thing we needed was wet shoes. We’d already had a fight with the washer/dryer combo machine at our apartment. Nothing is in English and every time we put the load on it would come out wet instead of clean and dry like we hoped.

So we were outside the Colloseum in the rain and spotted a cafe we could duck into and order coffees. We told the soggy kids to stand in a huddle so we don’t take up too much room and we ordered our drinks and a doughnut for the kids breakfast. The rain was falling that hard outside that we didn’t really want to go stand in it until the last minute. So I just kept sipping on my empty cup and hoping it looked like I still had plenty to finish.

When the rain eased off when headed out into the street. Suddenly loads and loads of men had appeared selling ponchos and umbrellas. We had raincoats on but I was in short shorts. The next minute there I was bartering with a man over a poncho. I offered him 2 euro. He wanted 10. For a piece of plastic. I waved him off. I’ve been to Bali baby, I know how to barter. He called me back- we had a deal. I was the proud owner of a purple poncho with Roma written on the back.

We met our tour guide who handed out our headphones to us. I was a little worried the kids might find them tricky but they were ok and our group was small so they were not really required. The rain had stopped for now and we suddenly found ourselves being some of the first into the arena. Oh what a feeling. The last time Mike and I were in Rome we just looked at the Colloseum from the outside, we couldn’t afford a tour. This time we were ready! In the arena our tour guide started chanting “Max-i-mus! Max-i-mus!” and Maxy blushed as we all were asked to imagine him entering the gladiator gates ready for battle. We found the tour fascinating and well put together. The artefacts that they have discovered along with the stories brought it to life for us all. I particularly liked seeing the small dice they used to play games, the beautifully painted plates and also the animal enclosures and underground systems used. Young and old, I think we all got something from it. Apparently it pays to be round. The gladiators would survive and live longer if they had some fat on them. Their organs were better protected! We all walked away learning new things and purchased a book from the gift store for us all to enjoy once we are home.

Our next stop for the day would be the Pantheon piazza. We had visited there

the day before however this time we were going to an amazing sandwich shop. The line was long and they had security there. It must be good! We placed our order for three sandwiches filled with things like salami, prosciutto, mortadella, pistachios, rocket and Stracciatella di bufala cheese. They were good but to be honest way too filling and a little sloppy with the cheese which is the curd inside burrata. Kayden currently has a cold so that also killed the mood when he passed a sand which around to share.

From here we went hunting for some souvenirs for the kids. They stocked up on mini plaster colosseums, magnets (even though I keep telling them our fridge at home doesn’t have magnets!!) and Max purchased a plastic sword. Wonderful. Isla also found a soft toy she felt she needed to adopt.

We spent the afternoon relaxing in the apartment and staying dry for a few hours before we headed out on a walking food tour of the Campo Di Fiori area and the Trastevere neighbourhood. We met a young lady who was studying in Florence this year and her mum from San Francisco had come to visit. We also met another couple from Park City in Utah who were both physicians travelling for work. Funnily enough I got speaking with the woman from Utah and she asked what sports the kids do in Australia. I tried to explain Aussie Rules and had to lean on Mike to help me explain this random

sport.

Isla then explained to her about how she broke her arm so was on a sport ban. The husband and wife were blown away. Their own daughter broke her arm at the same time as Isla in a skiing accident. Their breaks were almost identical (she showed me the X-ray). Their young daughter is ranked one of the top skiers in the USA right now. Crazy how Isla broke her arm on the school oval and this other girl did it high speed skiing. We shared stories of the challenges our daughters had faced to learn to use their arms again and the progress they were making. How funny life is when you get sent people to share a moment with. We both were mothers who in many ways couldn’t do much to help our daughters overcome mental and physical obstacles to their recovery from some freakily identical accidents. We could have chatted all night. We swapped details and offers of hosting each other if life ever took us to each others countries. Never say never!

The food tour itself was good and we all tried local Roman dishes including fried cod which is much life a fried fish fillet from the fish and chip shop and the most insane salad. We sampled fresh suppli- Roman rice balls, cacio e peppe, amatriciana, porchetta and of course authentic gelato. I had pear and ricotta and a scoop of peach for those playing at home. The kids enjoyed it and charmed all the adults although their honest reviews of the sparkling water or the cacio e pepe having similar qualities to toothpaste had Mike and I kicking them under the table.

We walked off our food through the city and found ourselves home and in bed at 10pm. We were all looking forward to a sleep in!